The decisive aspect in the entire discussion of a software architecture is the fact of first understanding it as a management concept – a service-oriented architecture, whether SOA or microservices, is always first a conceptual approach and not a concrete technology proposal. With the understanding of the management concept, the aim is to achieve IT that is aligned with business processes (business requirements). In the respective system architecture concept, services and functionalities are made available as a service.
From these services – which are to be understood as generic and reusable business process steps – a specific corporate process is orchestrated. The individual services can be used as in a modular principle to orchestrate different process flows. Here, one selects from a pool of available services – these are stored in the so-called service repository. From a more technical point of view, the few existing standards such as REST, SOAP, WSDL and UDDI are used to implement service-oriented architecture Web services. Microservices in turn create independence from deployment and from side effects.
As simple as possible, as complex as necessary!
Today, very few IT infrastructures meet the requirements of the original implementation. The reasons for this vary from industry to industry, but are still comparable – because budgets are not available, because cost pressure slows down innovation, because resources are not available, because requirements are not clearly defined ...., etc.
As a result, many IT environments have such a reduced structure that they cannot meet the original requirements. Still others are so complex in their architecture and implementation that neither effective operation nor efficient and flexible use of the available resources is possible.
As a result, not only the existing IT budgets suffer, but also the agility and flexibility of the company – despite the fact that the last aspect in particular is a success factor in an increasingly competitive global market.
Regardless of industry- and market-specific characteristics, almost all companies have processes or workflows that meet certain standards. With a service-oriented architecture, it is possible to support these processes with the complexity needed and to make design, operation and further development as simple as possible – a tailor-made IT infrastructure.
A service-oriented architecture is very similar in idea, features and design to classical engineering disciplines. The construction of a new motor vehicle is possible in an extremely short time, with high efficiency and defined quality through standardization, universal standards, modularization and encapsulation of functionalities – in ever shorter time intervals, with constantly increased flexibility and high responsiveness to market requirements even in advanced design phases.
Let's take the assembly of a simple wheel as an example. No one would think of developing a new interface or a new tool for assembly. Instead, a standard has been defined that enables fast and cost-effective assembly – as well as very fast and easy replacement of the wheel, regardless of the tire used. Thus, the rim can be considered a standard adapter for mounting the tire.
These design mechanisms, construction principles and parameters also help to convert IT investments made within the framework of a service-oriented architecture into business benefits. This way, you are able to exploit existing potential and remain competitive in the global market through a responsive IT environment.
X-INTEGRATE for the right architecture
We at X-INTEGRATE understand and live service-oriented architecture and microservices as a business opportunity for our customers. We realize strategic site advantages for the organization as well as for the enterprise IT. Our consulting offers are therefore based on a comprehensive understanding of your business goals and a holistic analysis of the IT system environment. Our claim in every project step is to generate a fundamental understanding of the new architecture before it is implemented. We achieve this goal with our prefabricated package solution or a customized solution approach – close cooperation and coordinated communication is crucial for us. Our special expertise lies in the sensitive transfer of legacy systems into a service-oriented IT world.
We would be happy to provide you with more details in a personal meeting.
Read our article on Microservices
Microservices are an architectural pattern for the development and operation of software applications. It has many similarities with a service-oriented architecture (SOA). Complex applications are represented by small, modular and independent services. Communication between components takes place via technology-independent interfaces.
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Stephan Pfeiffer